These lewd things are idols?: Chapter 40

Episode: 40

We don’t necessarily think of the monthly evaluations as just some kind of talent show for trainees.

That doesn’t mean we're here just to find the trainees' flaws and hurl harsh criticism at them either.

Really.

Honestly, it's purely about this:

Is this kid ready to debut?

If not yet, do they show improvement when we point out problems?

That’s what we’re looking for.

It’s not like we’re purposely trying to tear them down.

“We are team Ember! Please take good care of us!”

It starts with a boy group.

[Lee Su-jong, B]

[Choi Jung-hyuk, C]

[Heo Nam-gi, C]

[Lee Young-seo, A]

[Kang Min-goo, B]

But why are there 11 members?

This is basically like those huge groups from the past.

Like Ultra Junior back in the day.

Or maybe they're trying to go for the same vibe as that super popular group, Sixteen, right now.

Sure.

The idea isn’t bad.

The problem is the kids’ grades.

It’s an obvious thing to say, but there are differences in talent.

If everyone in this world were given equal talent, would we even have the top 0.01 percent idols and entertainers?

That’s not how it works. So, talented people naturally stand out.

And those people make their way into the entertainment industry and become stars.

‘They just picked a bunch of kids with average looks and threw them together.’

What does Ember even mean?

Please don’t tell me they just slapped a cool-sounding name on it without thinking.

‘Wow. Reality just hit me hard.’

I guess after seeing only our trainees every day…

Or occasionally running into the Oasis kids…

I forgot.

Just because these kids are trainees at an agency doesn’t mean they’re all great.

Some of them make you wonder if they’re even serious about this.

No, wait. That sounds harsh.

Let’s just say there are a lot of kids who are lacking.

This group standing in front of me is exactly that.

They’re so scared they’re shaking, holding the microphones like rabbits facing a predator.

“Relax, take it easy.”

The CEO, unable to watch any longer, stepped in with those words.

‘But I feel like that’s just going to make it worse.’

Kids like them…

They’re already scared to face their team leader, and now the CEO is talking to them?

‘I’m nervous around the CEO too. Imagine how these kids must feel.’

Their hearts must be bouncing out of their chests.

-♬♪♬♪♪

“Stop.”

As expected.

Not even a minute passed before the CEO said, “Stop.”

“This is a mess.”

“……”

That guy is something else.

How can he say that so casually with the CEO standing right next to him?

“If you’re going to do it like that, just quit. Singing, dancing, rapping—what are you even doing? Do you think being an idol is a joke? What are you trying to show us? You have no charm at all.”

But.

As much as I hate to admit it.

Park Joo-yong’s words aren’t wrong.

“Your singing skills are lacking, and your rap isn’t impressive either. Honestly, rap might be even harder than singing when you really get into it.”

I did my best to calmly point out what I observed.

Their pitch was shaky. I understood they were nervous, but still, and so on.

The trainers also gave them sincere advice.

“For a first-year trainee, focusing more on imitating rather than showing your own color is common. It’s good to imitate. But as you grow, finding your own color while doing so is important.”

We didn’t criticize them too harshly.

For a first-year, what they showed was somewhat expected.

Some of them probably joined out of mere curiosity.

“Get out now. Go practice more in another studio. You’re not even worth the time of this monthly evaluation.”

That guy seems to be living in a different era.

Of course, there are times when you need to speak harshly.

But this guy just goes overboard without any consideration.

‘He’s just using this as a way to vent his own stress.’

The Ember kids, trembling and almost on the verge of tears because of Park Joo-yong, bowed their heads and left the practice room.

“We’ll try harder!”

“Why are boys crying? Tsk.”

The atmosphere was ice cold. Ice cold.

Perhaps because of the harsh evaluation right from the first performance, the trainees waiting in the back look visibly tense.

“By the way, it seems like the world has gotten better these days.”

And now, what’s with this guy?

Out of nowhere, Choi Ho-cheol, also known as the ‘Nampo-dong Fist,’ speaks up.

“If it were in the past, training wouldn’t have been so kind. Nowadays, it’s almost like a kindergarten, with everyone being so gentle. The team leaders and trainers as well.”

“We do speak sternly when it’s necessary. These are trainees in their first year who haven’t even experienced many monthly evaluations yet. What’s with the—”

“Pfft. Well, that’s just how I see it. From what I’ve learned through self-study and hard work, being too kind only leads to stagnation. At least from my perspective as a successful composer, that’s what I believe. It’s like tough love.”

Ha.

This guy is seriously annoying.

“Mister ‘Nampong-dong Iron Fist’ seems to know something. It’s not that today’s kids are particularly weak mentally or that they can’t handle live performances. The real issue is that they’ve been raised too softly. Then when someone offers sincere criticism, they say it’s too harsh.”

“Let’s stop there. We’re in the middle of a monthly evaluation. Please refrain from unnecessary comments.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. CEO.”

Ugh, Park Joo-yong and Choi Ho-cheol… those two are like two peas in a pod.

The monthly evaluations continued in a similarly cold and detached manner after that. Between Park Joo-yong’s sharp critiques and Choi Ho-cheol’s annoying comments here and there, I couldn’t help but feel irritated.

‘Honestly, how many talented kids could there really be at this failing agency?’

And it’s not like these trainees are even preparing for debut yet—they’re just trainees.

“This is disappointing, N&P.”

Hearing the ‘Nampo-dong Iron Fist’ mock us like that, I almost reflexively kicked his fat face.

“The real deal starts now, Mister Composer.”

It was finally Oasis’s turn.

Three girls who looked so thin they were practically skin and bones enthusiastically stepped forward and introduced themselves.

“Hello, I'm Mina from Oasis.”

“I’m Lee Sora.”

“And I’m Serena.”

All three stood in a line, greeting and introducing themselves as Oasis.

“The reason our team is called Oasis is that we want to be a ray of hope, like an oasis in the midst of a tough world, for those who are weary.”

There’s definitely a noticeable difference in quality between a team preparing for debut and those who came before them.

By the way, this introduction is something they’ll be repeating over and over again in every broadcast from now on—whether it’s the MC or themselves saying it. That’s why the group name and its meaning are so important.

“Wow, Oasis. Good name. And the girls certainly shine brighter than the ones we’ve seen so far. They really shine.”

Whether they rehearsed this or he genuinely thought so, I couldn’t tell. But Choi Ho-cheol, who had been slouching and sitting casually until now, finally straightened up and focused on the Oasis girls.

“The song we’ve prepared is ‘Hope’ by the seniors from PenPal. Please take care of us.”

They almost bent over backward with how low they bowed. Oasis kept bowing 90 degrees and repeatedly said, “Please take care of us.”

But seriously…

‘Hope? That song has a really high level of difficulty.’

To be honest, even my trainees might struggle with that song if they had to perform it live—it’s that hard.

In fact, even the group PenPal themselves rarely perform it live on stage unless they’re really confident.

‘That’s definitely Park Joo-yong’s doing.’

Sure, choosing something difficult certainly leaves a strong impression. But who doesn’t know that?

“Ah!”

A slightly off-pitch high note.

“Ugh!”

Though they tried to hide it, there were minor mistakes during the dance routine.

‘What a shame.’

Compared to the previous teams, it was undoubtedly a much better performance. But they failed to showcase the unique charm of Oasis.

There were probably much better song choices available. Just because a song is difficult doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice. This just proves that. Everyone has a style that suits them.

“Hm.”

CEO Cheon Tae-oh, who had been quietly watching the entire time, finally let out a faint sound.

The pen in his hand kept twirling around and around.

It was as if time had stopped. Everyone held their breath, staring blankly at CEO Cheon’s pen spinning in circles.

If someone cast a hypnosis spell now, it would be a jackpot.

“When is Oasis supposed to debut?”

“As soon as the song is ready, we plan to debut after about six months of practice.”

“Six months, huh…”

Click. Click. Click.

After tapping the table with his pen three times, CEO Cheon spoke.

“Let’s set it for one year. No, let’s say around eight months for now. We’ll have to see how things go then. I’ll need to talk with the other agency heads as well.”

Extending the preparation time for debut—what could that mean?

It meant that CEO Cheon wasn’t satisfied with them at all.

Right.

Looking at it objectively, Oasis’ performance was filled with shortcomings. After all, if a girl group that had been nurtured for years ended up failing, I can only imagine how pissed off the CEO must be.

"Mr. CEO, the girls were just a bit nervous," Park Joo-yong quickly started making excuses, fully aware of the implications behind Cheon Tae-oh’s words.

An extended training period wasn’t actually a big deal. What truly unsettled Park Joo-yong was the fact that the team he had prepared was being undervalued. It made him feel anxious and humiliated.

Even though it wasn’t him who had performed, but Oasis.

And on top of that, Oasis' poor performance was his fault.

"When things go well, it's because of him; when things go wrong, it’s because the girls were nervous."

Cheon Tae-Oh looked into Park Joo-yong’s eyes and responded in a calm voice.

"Yes, I took their nerves into account when giving my feedback, Mr. Park."

"…"

"Do you have anything more to say?"

"…No, sir."

It seemed like Choi Ho-cheol was about to add something to back up Park Joo-yong, but he flinched and leaned back in his chair instead.

Cheon Tae-Oh’s presence is definitely something else.

"And nerves, huh…" 

Cheon Tae-Oh tilted his head slightly, then turned to look at me and my team. That meaningful glance made Park Joo-yong even more anxious.

Glancing at his watch somewhat noticeably, Cheon Tae-Oh spoke up.

"Now that I think about it, I don’t have much time left until my next appointment. Apologies to the other trainees, but Mr. Kim."

"Yes?"

"Could I watch your girls next? I’ll have to leave right after their performance."

"Oh, yes. That’s fine."

While I nodded in agreement, Seong Seri was already leading the girls forward.

"Wow."

Even the trainees watching from the back, as well as the judges, couldn’t help but express admiration.

The girls already had stunning visuals, but now that they were stepping forward to perform, the aura they radiated was on a whole different level.

It felt like I was already watching idols.

[Eun Hee-ju, SS+]

[Lee Da-young, S+]

[Gil Min-seo, SS+]

[Seong Se-ri, SS]

The eyes of the girls who were now in front, managing their expressions, met mine one by one. Through that, their charms were already beginning to show.

Gil Min-seo’s vibrant happiness.

Seong Se-ri’s experience.

Lee Da-young’s meticulousness.

And finally, Eun Hee-ju’s uniqueness.

Above all, none of them seemed nervous, even in front of the CEO, nor did they show any signs of being shaken by the monthly evaluation.

"Go ahead."

As soon as Cheon Tae-Oh gave the signal, Eun Hee-ju was the first to open her mouth, and in that moment, our three minutes were erased.

"Phew."

Even after the performance ended, the girls were completely composed. Aside from a slight breath, they struck professional poses with their expressions unwavering. Not a single sound could be heard from anyone else.

This was true perfection in silence.

"…"

"…"

The first person to break that silence was, of course, Cheon Tae-Oh.

Clap.

Clap, clap.

Clap, clap, clap.

The applause that started slowly soon filled the rehearsal room. It was the first applause of the day.

And then.

"I should have promoted you to team leader sooner, Mr. Kim."

That’s probably the highest compliment a team leader could receive from the CEO.

But what pleased me even more was something else.

"Mr. Park."

"…!"

"Looks like Mr. Kim’s girls weren’t nervous. You should probably step up your game."

The look of shock and frustration on Park Joo-yong’s face made it clear he wasn’t able to control his expression at all.

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